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Chapter Sixteen: Release
“Hey.”
Faith glanced up from where she’d been focusing really hard on the dufflebag on the bed at her side for who knew how long. Buffy stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame. Her arms were crossed defensively over her chest and Faith tensed, wary. She started wondering if it might not be a good thing she hadn’t been able to force herself to unpack anything yet.
“Hey, B,” She drawled nonchalantly, “Everything go alright?”
“As well as it could, I guess,” Buffy tried to smile and it wavered, “He--he was really great.”
Buffy’s face crumpled and she uncrossed her arms as she shoved off from the door frame. Faith wondered for a minute if she was going to take off, but then Buffy entered the room instead. She crossed the room and put one knee on the bed, swinging the other over Faith’s lap. Faith’s arms came up around Buffy’s back and she gazed up at the tear streaked face, concerned.
“I--I’m sorry, Faith,” Buffy stammered, wiping at the tears with her palms, “This isn’t right. I mean, he’s my ex, and you’re--I--I shouldn’t be falling apart like this on you, but I--I can’t...”
“I got you,” Faith said awkwardly when Buffy trailed off in frustration, “Just let it out.”
“God, Faith,” Buffy growled brokenly as the tears came faster, “He was so...sweet about it. He--he even told me that you could be good for me if I let you. Who does that?”
Suddenly, Faith felt a little less inclined to hate him, but she still didn’t like him. Buffy was crying in her arms because of him, and she still wanted to stake him. She was just a little less likely to go through with it. Cupping the back of Buffy’s head, Faith guided her to rest against her shoulder.
“Shh,” Faith murmured softly, “I got you, B.”
***
“Buffy, Faith? I have--oh.”
Joyce paused in the hallway outside the guestroom, which was now Faith’s. The reasons for her hesitation were the two girls wrapped so tightly together she could barely make out who was where. They were lying sideways across the white comforter and Faith’s head was turned away from the doorway. Then Faith shifted slightly, turning her head to look up at her in question.
“Hey, Mrs. S.,” Her voice was thick with sleep, “What’s up?”
“I wanted to let you two know I brought dinner home,” Joyce’s expression grew concerned as she regarded her sleeping daughter, “Is everything okay? Buffy hasn’t taken a nap since kindergarten.”
“Not napping,” Buffy’s voice was muffled.
Faith grinned faintly at Joyce and then her attention narrowed in on Buffy. Joyce watched, at first uncomfortable, as Faith’s amused expression shifted to something infinitely tender. Her hand brushed the hair back from the face buried in her left shoulder, exposing a tear stained cheek. She dipped her head at an awkward angle and pressed her lips to Buffy’s ear, whispering. Buffy giggled, and the sound was so light, and all at once familiar and strange, and Joyce loved it. Her daughter hadn’t sounded that...carefree and innocent, since...since before she was Called.
Joyce decided that her reservations were completely irrelevant. She was working diligently to repress her memories of yesterday, and the scene before her still made her uncomfortable. Asking Faith to move in with them had mostly been reflex at the thought of a young girl living in that motel, and she’d had doubts about it. Faith was brash, crude, loud, and...looking at them now, Joyce knew she was utterly in love with Buffy. The arms that were wrapped low around Buffy’s back cradled her gently, and the dark eyes that twinkled in response to Buffy’s laugh were completely devoted.
“Buffy,” Joyce said abruptly, gaining her attention.
“Yeah, mom?” Buffy asked, still smiling.
“Dinner’s waiting whenever you’re able to pry yourself away from Faith,” She said casually.
“Mom,” Buffy groaned, her cheeks flaming brightly.
“And Faith?” Joyce added.
“Yeah, Mrs. S.?” She didn’t even look away from Buffy.
“I think you should be calling me Joyce, don’t you?”
Wide brown eyes blinked back at her, startled. Joyce gave her a bright smile that matched the one spreading across Buffy’s lips. Patting the doorjamb, Joyce laughed in disbelief and turned to go. Maybe things were starting to look up, because Buffy was happy, and Joyce was smiling again.
***
“What...” Faith asked slowly, “Was that?”
Buffy blinked, considering it, “I think...mom just gave us her approval.”
“Weird,” Faith muttered.
“Totally,” Buffy agreed, still grinning.
***
Dinner was simple. Joyce brought enough Chinese food home to feed an army, which meant it was just enough to satisfy the three of them and have leftovers for a post-patrol binge. Conversation was light, centered mostly around the gallery and school, and laughter flowed easily. The smile was still lingering on Faith’s lips when she and Buffy were getting ready to walk out the door.
“Bye, mom,” Buffy called out.
“We’ll see you later, Joyce,” Faith added.
“Be safe, girls,” Joyce followed them out onto the porch, “I’ll be waiting for you.”
“Mom...” Buffy huffed faintly, “Go back inside, okay? We’re just going on patrol.”
“You were on patrol the other night,” Joyce returned tartly, “And look what happened then?”
“We’ll be fine,” Faith interjected calmly, sensing Buffy’s growing agitation as she shifted in place, “Look, I’ve got B’s back tonight, and she has mine. We’ll find him, put him out of B’s misery, make the usual rounds, and then we’ll be right back here, probably by one at the latest.”
“We won’t even be anywhere near him,” Buffy promised, hefting her crossbow, “Slayer’s honor.”
***
“Little help here, Faith,” Buffy’s voice was strained.
“B, I don’t think this is what you had in mind when we left the house.”
Buffy grunted as she countered a blow to her gut with a kick to her opponent’s unprotected knee. She hadn’t broken her promise yet. This was a vampire, not an Incubus. However, she couldn’t exactly slay him without a stake, which was somewhere in the leaf-litter on the park ground.
“Faith,” Buffy growled in warning. “Make with the Slaying.”
“Alright, alright, don’t get your panties in a twist,” Faith drew her stake as she dropped off the roof of the mausoleum and she landed right behind the vampire, staking him in the same moment.
“That saying is...strangely ineffective when I’m not actually wearing them,” Buffy replied almost reflectively as she waved away the cloud of dust that floated through the air.
Faith caught her hand and pulled Buffy to her, locking her free arm around Buffy’s waist. Giving a flirty half smile, Buffy captured Faith’s lips, unable to resist. Then Faith’s hands started roaming, and Buffy allowed it for a moment, before she forced herself to pull away. Walking backwards, Buffy headed in the direction she’d last seen her weapons, smiling at the eyes that followed her.
***
Buffy watched, rapt, from the top of a memorial. When Faith fought, her body was as unrestrained as it was when she was fucking. She could see the muscles of her back clenching and unclenching as she let loose on the demon. Her eyes drifted lower and a slow smile worked across her lips.
“Stop starin’ at my ass, B,” Faith called out.
***
Faith rolled, allowing the demon to drive his arm past her into the dirt. Grabbing his elbow, she twisted her hips, switching their position. Sitting up, she grabbed his shoulder, and keeping her grip on the opposite elbow, she pulled, snapping the bone in two. A projectile hurtled through the air and Faith caught the knife, flipping it and driving it to the hilt in the demon’s green chest.
A hand reached out, helping her to her feet and she panted, “Nice throw.”
Bright hazel eyes caught hers, “Nice catch.”
Their lips crashed together in a heated kiss. Buffy’s hands were everywhere...Faith’s hair, her neck, her shoulders, her back, her ass. Buffy grabbed her ass, hard, and Faith chuckled huskily into her mouth. Nipping at Buffy’s bottom lip, Faith pulled away and darted out of reach.
“What are you waitin’ for, B?” She called over her shoulder, grinning wildly as she taunted Buffy, who stood motionlessly, “If you don’t come after me, I might die.”
***
It was inevitable. They’d played the game all night; slaying, and flirting, and flirting with each other to distract their opponents. Buffy hadn’t started out with the intentions of having sex with Faith in a highly inappropriate setting, but there they were. Faith was straddling Buffy’s lap on the roof of a crypt, her shirt pushed up over her breasts and Buffy’s hand down her unbuttoned pants.
Buffy simultaneously bit down on Faith’s nipple and pinched her clit and Faith’s hands clenched so tight in her hair that Buffy was afraid she was going to be bald by the end of the night. Her hand, already slippery and wet, got drenched, and Buffy forced herself to release Faith’s nipple. She lifted her head and caught Faith’s open mouth in a kiss, plunging her tongue in. At the same time, she drove three fingers to the hilt inside Faith, feeling strong, velvet walls pulling her in eagerly.
Faith was almost there already. Buffy could feel it in the contractions that would have broken her fingers if she were a normal human. Abruptly, Faith grabbed at Buffy’s shoulders, guiding her to lay back on the rough shingles. Faith remained upright, riding Buffy’s hand, dragging her own hands through her hair as she threw her head back, and Buffy stared up at her, mesmerized by the dark brown eyes that fought to stay open. She was almost completely caught up in Faith, in watching her, in feeling her around her, in the sound of her furious heartbeat.
The sound, when it came, was so light Buffy almost missed it. Faith was climaxing around her fingers, and the tendons in her neck stood out in stark relief as she forced herself to be quiet. Buffy was the only one for miles who could’ve heard the subvocal cries issuing from her throat. It was only the slightest bit out of place, a deep breath--could have even been Faith’s. It wasn’t.
Sitting up cautiously, Buffy let Faith wrap her arms around her shoulders, still moving against her hand as she drew out her release. Buffy peered over Faith’s shoulder, off the edge of the roof, and nearly cursed as she caught sight of a familiar figure standing in the shadows of a large sycamore. Closing her eyes as she tried to center herself, Buffy reached for the loaded crossbow at her side. Faith slumped against her, sighing softly as she nuzzled Buffy’s neck, and Buffy kissed her temple.
She took a breath, and it caught in her throat as Faith’s lips caressed the healing bite mark. Peering through one eye as she sighted the crossbow, Buffy exhaled slowly, nearly biting her tongue when the Incubus shifted a little. Another breath as she took her aim again, and now Buffy could see those bluish-silver eyes even at this distance. He had no idea they were there, and Buffy silently apologized even as she took a breath, her finger tightening on the trigger. Then she released.
To Be Concluded in the Epilogue